प्रिज्म

प्रिज्म, सरकार की निगरानी तथा विकिमीडिया: सामुदायिक प्रतिपुष्टि हेतु प्रार्थना

पिछले सप्ताह, समाचार आउटलेट्स ने U.S. सरकार के एक प्रिज्म (w:PRISM(surveillance program)) नामक निगरानी कार्यक्रम की सूचना प्रकाशित की, जो कि अमेरिकी सरकार को कुछ अमेरिका स्थित सेवा प्रदाताओं के सर्वरों से सीधे व्यक्तिगत सूचनाएं इकट्ठा करने में कथित तौर पर सक्षम बनाता है। CNET ने इसके बाद से सूचना दी है [२] कि हालांकि, इस कार्यक्रम में कम से कम कुछ औपचारिक तथा विशेष प्रक्रिया शामिल है । ज्यादातर कथित तौर पर-शामिल सेवा प्रदाताओं ने प्रिज्म में भाग लेने की बात को अस्वीकार दिया है। TechCrunch के पास कथित तौर पर-शामिल अस्सी संस्थाओं का खंडन का दावा है परंतु प्रकट होता है कि राष्ट्रपति ओबामा ने इस कार्यक्रम के अस्तित्व को स्वीकार करते हुए उसका बचाव भी किया है।

प्रिज्म की प्रकृति और दायरे के बारे में अनिश्चितताएं तथा खुले सवाल कायम हुए हैं। ये सार्वजनिक सूचनाएं तथा उनके बीच के मतभेदों ने विकिमीडिया समुदाय के साथ ही साथ विकिमीडिया संस्थान में चिंताओं को उठाया है।

हमारी स्थिति

The Wikimedia Foundation has not received requests or legal orders to participate in PRISM, to comply with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), or to participate in or facilitate any secret intelligence surveillance program. We also have not "changed" our systems to make government surveillance easier, as the New York Times has claimed is the case for some service providers.

हमें परवाह क्यों है

Freedom of speech and access to information are core Wikimedia values. These values can be compromised by surveillance: editors and readers understandably are less willing to write and inform themselves as honestly and freely. Put simply, "rights of privacy are necessary for intellectual freedom."

In addition, while PRISM is a United States government program, the global nature of internet traffic, and the alleged sharing of surveillance information between governments, means that Internet users around the world are potentially affected. Because of this, we feel an obligation to our entire global community of contributors and readers to further understand (and possibly respond to) this issue.

परामर्श और कार्यवाई

Because of the many open questions about PRISM, and the potential importance of this issue to our core values, we feel it is appropriate to consult with the Wikimedia community about what next steps we might take. In our opinion, governments must be transparent to their publics. This transparency is essential to our ability (and that of other like-minded organizations) to determine whether a legal or constitutional challenge is appropriate in a case like this.

Mozilla, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Free Software Foundation, and the Center for Democracy and Technology, among many others, have begun to work together on this issue. They have started by preparing an open letter to the U.S. Congress, calling for transparency, investigation, reform, and accountability, and have asked individuals and other interested organizations—like the Wikimedia Foundation—to join them.

As we see it, we have an important role to play in helping ensure protections for free expression and access to information as it relates to our mission. We accordingly feel that the Wikimedia Foundation should collaborate with these organizations, and possibly others, and join in their effort to demand that the government account for and explain their internet surveillance programs.

That said, we want to hear from you on these topics before we take any action. Should we join with these organizations in their public statements and efforts as they relate to the Wikimedia community’s values and mission? Please leave your thoughts on the talk page. We will consider all feedback, but, because events are moving quickly, we feel we need to make a decision on this by June 21, 2013.